Here's how a new AI tool may predict early signs of Parkinson's disease
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
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He was just 29 years old and at the height of Hollywood fame, a year after the release of the blockbuster Back to the Future III.
Key Points:
- He was just 29 years old and at the height of Hollywood fame, a year after the release of the blockbuster Back to the Future III.
- Parkinson’s is a debilitating neurological disease characterised by motor symptoms including slow movement, body tremors, muscle stiffness, and reduced balance.
- While this AI tool showed promise for accurate early diagnosis, it also revealed chemicals that were strongly linked to a correct prediction.
More common than ever
- For people over 50, the chance of developing Parkinson’s is higher than many cancers including breast, colorectal, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
- Read more:
Drooling is a common symptom of Parkinson's.
Our research
- For this study, we looked at the Spanish European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study which involved over 41,000 participants.
- To train the AI model we used a subset of data consisting of a random selection of 39 participants who later developed Parkinson’s.
- The AI tool was given blood data from participants, all of whom were healthy at the time of blood donation.
Key metabolites
- Metabolites are chemicals produced or used as the body digests and breaks down things like food, drugs, and other substances from environmental exposure.
- Our bodies can contain thousands of metabolites and their concentrations can differ significantly between healthy people and those affected by disease.
- Our research identified a chemical, likely a triterpenoid, as a key metabolite that could prevent Parkinson’s disease.
A high financial and personal burden
- The burden of living with the disease can be intolerable.
- Fox acknowledges the disease can be a “nightmare” and a “living hell”, but he has also found that “with gratitude, optimism is sustainable”.
- She is supported by a Scientia PhD and RTP scholarship from the University of New South Wales.